Fang Song et al 2009 Nanotechnology 20 495502 doi:10.1088/0957-4484/20/49/495502
Fang Song1, Huilan Su1,3, Jie Han1, Di Zhang1,3 and Zhixin Chen2
Show affiliationsUsing super-hydrophobic butterfly wings as templates, we developed an aqueous sol–gel soakage process assisted by ethanol-wetting and followed by calcination to fabricate well-organized porous hierarchical SnO2 with connective hollow interiors and thin mesoporous walls. The exquisite hierarchical architecture of SnO2 is faithfully replicated from the lightweight skeleton of butterfly wings at the level from nano- to macro-scales. On the basis of the self-assembly of SnO2 nanocrystallites with diameter around 7.0 nm, the interconnected tubes (lamellas), the fastigiated hollow tubers (pillars) and the double-layered substrates further construct the biomorphic hierarchical architecture. Benefiting from the small grain size and the unique hierarchical architecture, the biomorphic SnO2 as an ethanol sensor exhibits high sensitivity (49.8 to 50 ppm ethanol), and fast response/recovery time (11/31 s to 50 ppm ethanol) even at relatively low working temperature (170 °C).
85.85.+j Micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) and devices
82.80.-d Chemical analysis and related physical methods of analysis
Environmental and Earth science
Issue 49 (9 December 2009)
Received 15 July 2009, in final form 24 October 2009
Published 6 November 2009
Fang Song et al 2009 Nanotechnology 20 495502
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